Legacy of the Forlorn

The war for Kyonin Part 1

15

NOV/12

Amaras stood just inside tree line staring across the open land just south of Xer, the area was full of troops from Razmir mustering for their attack upon his home. Their General was no full and even Navarre had grudgingly admitted as much when their plan of attack became apparent. They split their forces each half moving east and west of Xer where they would attack the forest from, it forced Kynoin to split their forces as well. This was bad for they were outnumbered nearly three to one by the humans but then they would be fighting in the forest on their own terms. Many of the council had cried against this action of allowing them to enter, but it was Amaras’s arguments that swayed his brothers to agree. In open battle they would be slaughtered but in the forest they could force the humans to break apart their troops in to smaller groups easier to handle by the depleted and inexperience warriors Navarre commanded. The larger force of humans would attack to the west and would push south to Greengold so Navarre and most the family was there helping him anchor that front it would be the most hard fought area so only a small amount to troops were sent to defend the eastern half of the forest. That is where Amaras was with Drekoth and both of his sisters daughters along with close to two thousand elven troops and another thousand volunteers and militia. It was also where the Conclave of the Green had been placed; Navarre had cautioned him from being reckless. “You don’t need to hold the line Brother simply delay them as long as you can, once we have broken them in the west we will come as quickly as we can.” Were his words upon their parting.

Amaras new his brother feared his anger of old but that was a thing of the past and now he thought more clearly than ever, he had arrived a day before his foes and quickly began building defenses in the area. They had convinced many of the trees along the boards to allow them to change them much like those in the Tangled Woods. Their branches were now twisted and razor sharp they would scythe through armor and make the going slow. They had also convinced a great many of the forests predators to assist in the battle as well, great lumbering bears, sleek forest cats and majestic wolves prowled the forest waiting on their commands. Near him stood his brother and his nieces along with Alycot a younger apprentice mage Palanon had lent him along with four of his breather. The boy was nervous and wringing his hands staring out the armored force they faced, forming up into large blocks they could see a host of crossbow armed warriors, pike and spear men along with blocks of armored warriors wielding great weapons. There were no cavalry here as they would be useless in the forest, they had moved west to use the plains. They would attack soon which mean they had to put their plans into action how he reached out a hand to steady the young boy “Do not fear Alycot the warriors will not allow harm to befall you, just make you and yours stick to the plan we outlined.” The boy tried to speak but his voice cracked so he settled for a nod. “Many will die this day.” Came the calm words from Drekoth, it was well known he disagree with his younger brothers plan but Amaras would not take his bait. He simply watched the forces arrayed against him, he could see priests moving among the soldiers casting spells of protections and blessing upon them. “They will have died defending their homes and they can rest easy in that knowledge.” Came his replay.

“I will never understand these things” said the elder elf watching as the others prepared for the fight. “All life, every single life is born from the same place. We do not understand politics, policies and differences, given time we all grow foolish and we forget where we all came from. We give ourselves names, fight over lines on maps, and pretend our light is better than everyone else’s. We need something to remind us that life is precious, and each of us is unique. When our light goes out it’s gone forever and never will there be another quite like it again.” He sighed as he looked out at the gathering army before them “So many candles will go out this day that I wonder if we will ever be able to see anything again.”

Amaras paused his brothers deep words striking some core inside of him, he started to move away to take up his position when he paused and looked back. “When mother vanished I hated you for not being there, for not looking for her with me. I always thought that you didn’t care that you didn’t love her as I did. I see now that I wrong brother, I see now that in some ways you loved her more than me and you understood her in more ways than I ever could.” With that he started off into the forest to find his place in the coming battle. “She would have been proud of your Amaras. You have grown as a man and you walked your own path to get there.” The words were said but not loud enough for his little brother to hear them.

Amaras found the other druids he had assembled and they began to encant their own spells, unlike others a Druids power often effected only themselves or a single person but it was potent magic to that end he had ordered them prepare only a few spells of protection and these were given to those warriors taking the greatest risk. The rest of their magic would be used to call down the wrath of nature upon their foes, when done he lifted a horn to lips and blew a single clarion note. Those Razmirrans not in formation scrabbled at the sound sure a attack was coming and they would not disappoint them. From the western edge of the forest burst forth some of the Glade Guard mounted on their great elk steeds, they churned the ground up as they rushed along the front of the opposing army their short recurve bows singing as they fired arrow after arrow at their foes. Only a few found their marks and where they did a human would fall screaming in pain, but their goal was not mean to kill it was mean to anger. Startled by the small attack force the Razmiirans quickly tried to respond by firing a volley of return shots which mostly fell short of the swift running stags who veered off towards the forest edge where they halted and two of their riders spread out a massive banner. Upon it were scrawled several sentences discussing the Razmiirans living gods and their preference of goats to young buxom maids.

Engaged the priests ordered their forces forward and they began to march their bowmen began to fire volleys of arrows into the forest. They would hit nothing but they didn’t know that and in made them feel secure. The elves fell back deeper into the forest behind the tangled trees and prepared to fire their own bows in return, they waited till the enemy was just meters from the forest edge and they let loose a hail of black fletched arrows. Unlike humans they did not fire into the air hoping to drop someone they picked their targets carefully each arrow had to count. The first rank of warriors were cut down by the deadly shafts and those that took their places returned the shots a elf to Amaras’s left screamed and fell from his perch looking like some obscene porcupine, a few others fell as well and Amaras called the retreat, he fell back leaving less than a dozen dead elves and over five times that of humans. With the elven fire ceasing the humans rushed the forest hoping to catch them in retreating the elves made sure they could be seen to lure their foes in deeper. When the first humans hit the tangled trees they let out scream of agony as their flesh was torn and ripped. At that point the elves put into action their plan, it was a simple one they were to harry the human forces and draw them apart scattering across the forest and using speed to attack. The druids used their magic to great effect slowing down the advance or blasting apart armored knights with balls of lighting or flows of molten rock. The Black Wolf pack led lighting strikes upon stragglers while Amaras led his own troops in similar actions. Each battle saw more of their foes fall but so to did elves, they drug the humans across the forest separating them and fighting not as a whole but as smaller groups. It could not last he knew it they all did, but they had to keep going try to keep their foes off balance.